Leaders of the public and private sectors gathered at the Medic West Africa which held from October 11-13, 2017 at the Landmark Event Centre.

On Day 3, a Leaders In Healthcare Conference held and the opening remarks was by the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris.

In his speech, he mentioned that the decision to do something has started at the federal level with the new policies to create a more enabling environment.

He also stated that overcoming the challenges of investment in the health sector is is key.

“On reviewing the accounts of the federal government and lagos state government, there is a lot of money is the system but most of the money is coming from household (out-of-pocket) and that needs to be reduced,” he said.

He was honest in mentioning that maintenance structures are important because even if the huge machines available at the Medic West Africa are bought, most of them will run down within one year because of the lack of maintenance.

The disease burden in Nigeria has tripled. Mental Health, Diabetes, Hypertension, Road Accidents and so much more, are killing Nigerians.

As providers, the quality of care is mandatory and this calls for proper funding of healthcare for the Nigerian citizenry.

Here are some of the Healthcare leaders who were at the conference:

The Minister of Health, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Mr Clement Uwaifo

Dr Linda Ayade, the wife of the governor of Cross Rivers States, a public health physician